Suffragists fought for the right of women to vote. The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which gave them that right, was ratified on August 18, 1920.
Below are research strategies to seek out your ancestor in the Library of Congress holdings and those of other repositories, particularly at the state and local levels where the majority of suffragists were the most involved.
The suffrage movement lasted from the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848 to the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920. To get started, first identify the women in your family whose lifetimes intersect that era. They did not have to be members of an official pro- or anti-suffrage organization to take a side. Investigate the positions of their social clubs, religious affiliations, political parties, family members, and communities for insights into how they may have viewed suffrage.
Library of Congress Collections and Exhibits
The Library of Congress is home to significant, historical material related to the suffrage movement in the United States, including the special exhibit, "Shall Not Be Denied: Women Fight for the Vote." The exhibit has a virtual counterpart to explore online, which includes original papers of suffragists and suffrage organizations, photographs, historical accounts, and more. Browse digital collections and utilize resources identified in the research guides to understand the national movement and provide historical context for the roles your ancestors played.
Library of Congress Digital Collections:
National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) Records
Library of Congress Exhibit:
Shall Not Be Denied: Women Fight for the Vote
Library of Congress Research Guide:
Library of Congress Subject Heading(s):
National American Woman Suffrage Association
National Association of Colored Women (U.S.)
Woman's Christian Temperance Union
Women--Suffrage--United States
Suffrage Organization Archives
Each suffrage organization had philosophies and action plans. Knowing which one(s) your ancestor belonged to will help you to understand her perspective.
The most well-known suffrage organizations were the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) and American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA), which merged in 1890 to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association Records (NAWSA). After the 19th Amendment passed in 1920, NAWSA merged with the National Council of Women Voters to form the League of Women Voters, which is still active.
Similarly, the National Federation of Afro-American Women and the National League of Colored Women merged in 1896. With Mary Church Terrell as their first president, these groups became the National Association of Colored Women (NACW). In 1904, NACW became known as the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs (NACWC). Their work to overcome the particular challenges women of color face in the fight for equal rights is ongoing.
As the movement evolved, these groups continued to merge, adapt, or split. A prominent example of the latter, occurred in 1917, when Alice Paul broke away from NAWSA to form the National Woman's Party (NWP).
Other groups, though not specifically created to fight for suffrage, supported the cause too. These organizations, such as the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), became important allies.
To find out if your ancestors were members, search for the records of each organization. Seek out state and local chapters from the communities where your ancestors lived. In addition to the Library resources listed above, ArchiveGrid External is a useful tool to locate collections at over 1,000 institutions nationwide. Reach out to state or university archives, county historical societies, and community libraries. Most archives do not have every-name indexes. You'll want to find the most likely collections and study their contents for ancestors’ names. If you do not find actual membership rosters, look for alternatives such as meeting minutes, correspondence, newsletters, and programs that may identify ancestors or their neighborhoods.
Newspapers
Suffragist activities were often reported in local newspapers. Members may be identified or quoted. For example, in November 1920, many articles were written about the first women at the polls on Election Day.
The Library provides free access to Chronicling America, a collection of historic newspapers. It's important to find the newspapers local to your ancestors’ neighborhoods. If those hometown papers are not yet posted to Chronicling America, you can use the Directory of U.S. Newspapers to see which repositories house the archives. You can also contact the Library of Congress Newspapers and Periodicals Reading Room to learn about additional publications and resources.
Poll Taxes and Voter Registrations
If her state required a poll tax, find out if she paid it. For some areas, poll taxes have been digitized or published, but in most cases you will need to contact the county tax office or courthouse to access the original records. Voter registrations are also generally maintained at the local level. For family history purposes, these documents may reveal additional facts like name changes, birthdays, occupations, residences, and taxable property.
There are limitations to poll tax and voter registration records because, in spite of the 19th Amendment, not everyone was given an equal opportunity to participate. Women of color, like men of color, were forced to overcome intentional obstacles such as literacy tests and the poll tax itself. If your ancestor does not appear as a registered voter, you may want to dig deeper into the local history of their town, county, and state to determine what tactics may have inhibited their opportunity to register to vote.
Poll taxes and voter registrations indicate what your ancestor did with her new right. They do not tell you how she felt about it or whether or not she took an active role in the fight for it. Nevertheless, this historic moment in the lifetimes of our female ancestors should be documented for every woman in the family tree who was qualified to vote on Election Day, November 2, 1920. Whether or not she registered to vote, or tried to register to vote, in the first election for which she was constitutionally eligible, is a relevant part of her story and her place in history.